Radiohead

1985–1992: Formation and first years

The members of Radiohead met while attending Abingdon School, a private school for boys in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The bassist Colin Greenwood and the guitarist and singer Thom Yorke were in the same year; the guitarist Ed O'Brien was one year above, and the drummer Philip Selway was in the year above O'Brien. When O'Brien and Yorke formed a band, they asked Colin to play bass. They asked Selway to join after playing their first show with a drum machine. Colin's brother, the multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood, was three years below Colin and Yorke and the last to join.

1992–1994: "Creep", Pablo Honey and early success

Radiohead recorded their debut EP, Drill, with Hufford and Edge at Courtyard Studios. Released in May 1992, its chart performance was poor. As it was difficult for major labels such as EMI to promote bands in the UK, where independent labels dominated the indie charts, Radiohead's managers planned to have Radiohead use American producers and tour aggressively in America, then return to build a following in the UK. Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade, who had worked with the US bands the Pixies and Dinosaur Jr., were enlisted to produce Radiohead's debut album, Pablo Honey, recorded quickly in Oxford in 1992. With the release of their debut single, "Creep", that September, Radiohead began to receive attention in the British music press, not all of...

Style

Radiohead's musical style has been described as art rock, alternative rock, electronica, experimental rock, progressive rock, grunge, art pop, and electronic rock. Critics found elements of grunge in their first album, Pablo Honey. Their second album, The Bends, is sometimes described as Britpop, though Radiohead disliked Britpop, seeing it as a "backwards-looking" pastiche. OK Computer shifted to a more melancholic, atmospheric post-Britpop sound.

Influences

Among Radiohead's earliest influences were Queen, Bob Dylan, Japan, post-punk acts such as Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Magazine, and 1980s alternative rock bands such as R.E.M., U2, the Pixies, the Smiths and Sonic Youth. Jonny Greenwood named the Magazine guitarist John McGeoch his biggest guitar influence. Yorke named Neil Young as an influence, and Radiohead have covered Young several times. O'Brien said Scott Walker was Radiohead's "unifying" influence, citing his voice, arrangements and instrumentation.

Karma Police

"Karma Police" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 25 August 1997 as the second single from their third studio album, OK Computer (1997). It features acoustic guitar and piano, and lyrical themes of insanity and dissatisfaction with capitalism.

Composition

"Karma Police" is in common time and played in standard tuning. The key is ambiguous and changes throughout. The verse section can be interpreted as either moving between A natural minor and A dorian, or between E natural minor and E phrygian. The chorus section is in G major and the coda section can be interpreted in either B minor or D major. Acoustic guitar and piano are the most prominent instruments. The piano riff resembles part of "Sexy Sadie" by the Beatles.

Lyrics

The title lyric originates from an inside joke; the members of Radiohead would threaten to call the "karma police" if someone did something bad. Yorke said the song was about stress and "having people looking at you in that certain [malicious] way". He said: "It's for someone who has to work for a large company. This is a song against bosses. Fuck the middle management!"

Release

In the United Kingdom, "Karma Police" was issued as the second single from OK Computer on 25 August 1997. It was released on two CD singles and a 12-inch vinyl single and reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, the single was serviced to modern rock radio on 13 October 1997. Five months later, in March 1998, it peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. In March 2010, almost 13 years later, "Karma Police" reached number 15 on the Danish Singles Chart. Early versions of "Karma Police" were released on the 2019 compilation MiniDiscs [Hacked]. In 2023, American post-hardcore band Pierce the Veil covered "Karma Police" on Triple J while touring Australia.

Critical reception

Steve Huey from AllMusic described "Karma Police" as "haunting, mystifying, and exquisite", labelling it "one of the cornerstones of one of the greatest albums of the '90s". The Daily Record declared it a "superb song". A reviewer from Music Week rated it four out of five, picking it as one of the "standout tracks" from OK Computer. Rolling Stone placed "Karma Police" at position 279 on its ranking of the 500 greatest songs of all time in 2021 and 2024. In 2020, the Guardian named it the fifth-best Radiohead song, writing: "'Karma Police' is an enduringly odd superhit: at once relatable, inscrutable and chilling ... Yorke learned, after much saccharine bumbling, to consolidate his bleak and mawkish impulses into one."

Creep

"Creep" is the debut single by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 21 September 1992 by EMI. It was included on Radiohead's debut album, Pablo Honey (1993).

It features "blasts" of guitar noise and lyrics describing an obsessive unrequited attraction.

Recording

Radiohead formed in Oxfordshire in 1985 and signed a record contract with EMI in 1991. Their 1992 debut, the Drill EP, drew little attention. For their debut single, Radiohead hired the producers Sean Slade and Paul Q. Kolderie and recorded at Chipping Norton Recording Studios in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. They worked on the songs "Inside My Head" and "Lurgee", but without results.

Lyrics

According to the critic Alex Ross, "Creep" has "obsessive" lyrics that depict the "self-lacerating rage" of an unrequited attraction. Greenwood said the lyrics were inspired by a woman who Yorke had "followed for a couple of days", and who unexpectedly attended a Radiohead performance. John Harris, then the Oxford correspondent for Melody Maker, said "Creep" was about a girl who frequented the upmarket Little Clarendon Street in Oxford. According to Harris, Yorke preferred the more bohemian Jericho, and expressed his discomfort using the lines "What the hell am I doing here / I don't belong here".

Composition

Like many Radiohead songs, "Creep" uses pivot notes, creating a "bittersweet, doomy" feeling. The G–B–C–Cm chord progression is repeated throughout, alternating between arpeggiated chords in the verses and last chorus and distorted power chords during the first two choruses. In G major, these may be interpreted as "I–V7/vi–IV–iv".

Music video

The "Creep" music video was directed by Brett Turnbull and filmed at the Venue, Oxford. For the video, Radiohead performed a free short concert, playing "Creep" several times. They donated proceeds from audience members to the Oxford magazine Curfew, which had covered their early work. In the audience was the electronic musician Four Tet, then a teenager, who years later supported Radiohead on tour and collaborated with Yorke.

Fake Plastic Trees

"Fake Plastic Trees" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released in May 1995 by Parlophone from their second album, The Bends (1995). It was the third single from The Bends in the UK and the first in the US.

Writing

Thom Yorke, Radiohead's songwriter, said "Fake Plastic Trees" was "the product of a joke that wasn't really a joke, a very lonely, drunken evening and, well, a breakdown of sorts". He said it arose from a melody he had "no idea what to do with". According to Yorke, he did not force the lyrics, and instead "just recorded whatever was going on in my head ... I wrote those words and laughed. I thought they were really funny, especially that bit about polystyrene."

Recording

Radiohead recorded "Fake Plastic Trees" for their second album, The Bends, in 1994 at RAK Studios, London, with the producer John Leckie. The sessions were strained by pressure from Radiohead's record label, EMI, to record a single to match the success of their debut, "Creep". The guitarist Ed O'Brien likened one version to the Guns N' Roses song "November Rain", saying it was "pompous and bombastic ... just the worst".

Release

According to Radiohead's co-manager Chris Hufford, American audiences were disappointed by the lack of a "Creep"-style song on The Bends. In response, Capitol, the US subsidiary of EMI, chose "Fake Plastic Trees" as the first US single, to further distance Radiohead from "Creep".

Reception

Reviewing The Bends, the European magazine Music & Media wrote that "Fake Plastic Trees" "best illustrates [Radiohead's] ambitions". Writing for NME in May 1995, John Mulvey felt that it lacked substance. Both critics drew comparisons with the rock band U2. Mark Frith from Smash Hits gave "Fake Plastic Trees" two out of five, writing: "Mournfully slow and really unremarkable, this will probably only appeal to die-hard fans."

All I Need

"All I Need" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, produced by Nigel Godrich. It was released as a promotional single on 5 January 2009, from their seventh studio album, In Rainbows (2007).

"All I Need" is a downtempo track with lyrics about obsession and unrequited love.

Recording

Radiohead debuted "All I Need" at their 20 June 2006 performance at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. Singer Thom Yorke told the audience that they had just "sketched [the song] out earlier and might get it wrong".

Composition

"All I Need" is a sombre song with lyrics detailing obsession and love. It incorporates strings, synthesisers, glockenspiel, and piano. Brian Howe of Paste wrote that it "contrasts baggy bass bleats with tiny, concise glockenspiel". Robert Sandall of The Telegraph described it as Yorke's most "direct love song", and Rolling Stone cited it as among "the most intense love songs [he] has ever sung". The lyrics incorporate metaphors describing unrequited love, with Yorke describing himself as "an animal trapped in your hot car". In the final crescendo, the album's "most cathartic release", Yorke sings "it's all right, it's all wrong" as Philip Selway's crash cymbals enter.

Release

"All I Need" concludes the first half of In Rainbows. On 5 January 2009, TBD Records and ATO Records released "All I Need" to US adult album alternative radio. CD copies of the single were distributed by TBD Records for promotional purposes to coincide with the radio release, which included labels detailing Radiohead's nominations at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. A performance of "All I Need" was included on the 2008 live video In Rainbows – From the Basement. Yorke remixed "All I Need" as a new song, "Honey Pot", which he played during a guest appearance on the radio station KCRW in June 2013.

Music video

The "All I Need" music video was directed by Steve Rogers and filmed in Australia by John Seale. It premiered on MTV on May 1, 2008. In split screen, it depicts a day in the lives of two children: a boy in the west from an affluent area, and a boy in the east forced to work in a sweatshop which produces shoes worn by the western boy. It was made in support of the MTV EXIT campaign, which promotes awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking and modern slavery. Yorke said he hoped the campaign would make slavery less of a taboo to discuss. The video won 16 awards, including the UNICEF–CASBAA Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award, the Bronze ANDY for Film at the International Andy Awards, the In Book for Music Video at the 2009 D&AD...

Everything In Its Right Place

"Everything in Its Right Place" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released as the opening track of their fourth studio album, Kid A (2000). It features synthesiser, digitally manipulated vocals, mixed modes and unusual time signatures.

The lyrics were inspired by the stress felt by the singer, Thom Yorke, while promoting Radiohead's album OK Computer (1997).

Writing

Following the success of Radiohead's 1997 album OK Computer, the songwriter, Thom Yorke, had a mental breakdown. He suffered from writer's block and became disillusioned with rock music. Instead, he listened almost exclusively to the electronic music of Warp artists such as Aphex Twin and Autechre, saying: "It was refreshing because the music was all structures and had no human voices in it. But I felt just as emotional about it as I'd ever felt about guitar music."

Recording

According to the bassist, Colin Greenwood, Godrich was initially unimpressed by the song. Radiohead and Godrich worked on it in a conventional band arrangement during sessions in Copenhagen and Paris, but without results. In Gloucestershire, Yorke and Godrich transferred it from piano to a Prophet-5 synthesiser. Godrich processed Yorke's vocals using a scrubbing tool in the music software Pro Tools.

Composition

"Everything in its Right Place" is an electronic song featuring synthesiser and digitally manipulated vocals. It uses unusual time signatures and mixed modes, staples of Radiohead's songwriting. O'Brien observed that it lacks the crescendos of Radiohead's previous songs. Adam Zwi of Radio National described it as dissonant and "ominous". NME likened it to electronic music released on the record label Warp, with "minimalism and all manner of glitchy creepiness" and "weirdly hymnal dreamscape of ambient keys".

Reception

"Everything in Its Right Place" alienated critics who had hoped for more of the rock music of Radiohead's previous albums. NME described it as "the moment where Radiohead finally left behind the limitations of being an alt rock band and embraced a whole wide world of weirdness". In 2009, Pitchfork described the shock some fans experienced hearing it for the first time:

House Of Cards

"House of Cards" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, from their seventh studio album, In Rainbows (2007). It was serviced to American modern rock radio on April 6, 2008, as a promotional single.

Writing

The Radiohead singer, Thom Yorke, first performed "House of Cards" in an acoustic rendition at the 2005 Trade Justice rally in London. According to the bassist, Colin Greenwood, an early version had a bass riff in the style of R.E.M. The guitarist Jonny Greenwood wanted it to sound like an Iggy Pop song, but conceded that this "would probably have killed something beautiful and tender". Yorke and the drummer, Philip Selway, reworked the song with the rhythm on the final version.

Music video

The "House of Cards" music video was directed by James Frost. Instead of traditional cameras, it was made with motion capture technology developed by Geometric Informatics and lidar technology developed by Velodyne Lidar. This produced 3D versions of Yorke's face, "like the computer simulation of a mountain range", and "ghostly exteriors and indoor party shots". The Guardian described the video as "spectral, dazzling and eerie", and The Quietus said it had a "haunting hyper-futuristic aspect".

Release

"House of Cards" was released on Radiohead's seventh album, In Rainbows (2007). Along with another song, "Bodysnatchers", it was serviced to American modern rock radio on April 6, 2008, as a promotional single. At the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, Best Rock Song and Best Music Video. A performance of "House of Cards" was included on the 2008 live video In Rainbows – From the Basement.

Man of War

"Man of War" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 22 June 2017 on the compilation album OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017.

Release

In June 2017, Radiohead released "Man of War" on the OK Computer reissue OKNOTOK 1997 2017 alongside two other previously unreleased tracks: "I Promise" and "Lift". The final release was based on the version recorded at Chipping Norton in 1996. According to Selway, "This is the version of the song we all felt best captured what was good about it."

Composition

Rolling Stone described "Man of War" as a "crisp mid-tempo ballad" with strings, piano, and "shards of distressed electric guitar". It opens with a guitar figure before a distorted chorus. The lyrics are "anxious" and "nerve-racking", with the refrain "the worms will come for you". Drowned in Sound described "Man of War" as "grandiose" and the inverse of Radiohead's other Bond theme, "Spectre".

Music video

The "Man of War" music video, directed by Colin Read, was released in June 2017 on YouTube. The video alternates from day to night, with the mood shifting from "cheerful to paranoid". It follows a man walking from a park who appears carefree by day but "seems to be hiding something" at night.

Reception

PopMatters praised "Man of War" as the strongest of the OKNOTOK bonus tracks, and argued that it could have appeared on the original OK Computer. The PopMatters critics awarded it an average score of 8.3 out of 10. The Rolling Stone critic Will Hermes wrote that "Man of War" would not have fit OK Computer lyrically, but that it was an "after-the-fact" classic. He praised Jonny Greenwood's "swaggering rock-dude guitar squeals", Yorke's surreal lyrics and the "sparkling tick-tock rhythm", which he likened to the 1973 song "Time" by Pink Floyd.

Paranoid Android

"Paranoid Android" is a song by English alternative rock band Radiohead, released as the lead single from their third studio album, OK Computer (1997), on 26 May 1997. The lyrics were written by singer Thom Yorke following an unpleasant experience in a Los Angeles bar.

The song is over six minutes long and contains four sections. The title is taken from Marvin the Paranoid Android from the science fiction series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Writing and recording

As with many other OK Computer tracks, "Paranoid Android" was recorded in St Catherine's Court, a 15th-century mansion near the village of St Catherine, near Bath, Somerset. It was produced by Nigel Godrich.

Composition

"Paranoid Android" is described as alternative rock, art rock, progressive rock and neo-prog. It has four distinct sections, potentially defining the track as a "rhapsody", each played in standard tuning, and a 44 time signature, although several three-bar segments in the second section are played in 78 timing.

Lyrics

"Paranoid Android" is categorised by three distinct moods written in what Yorke referred to as three different states of mind. The lyrics tie in with a number of themes common in OK Computer, including insanity, violence, slogans, and political objection to capitalism. Yorke's lyrics were based on an unpleasant experience at a Los Angeles bar during which he was surrounded by strangers who were high on cocaine. Yorke was frightened by a woman who became violent after someone spilled a drink on her. He characterised the woman as "inhuman", and said "There was a look in this woman's eyes that I'd never seen before anywhere. ... Couldn't sleep that night because of it." The woman inspired the line "kicking squealing Gucci little piggy" in the...

Music video

Yorke said that many people suggested Radiohead make another "moody and black and dark" music video for "Paranoid Android", similar to the video for their single "Street Spirit". However, Radiohead wanted an entertaining and "sick" video instead. Yorke said: "We had really good fun doing this song, so the video should make you laugh."

Lotus Flower

"Lotus Flower" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released as the lead single from their eighth studio album, The King of Limbs (2011). It features Thom Yorke's falsetto over syncopated beats and a synthesiser bassline.

Its music video, featuring Yorke's erratic dancing, attracted millions of views and inspired an internet meme.

Background

The Radiohead singer, Thom Yorke, debuted a solo version of "Lotus Flower" at the Echoplex in Los Angeles on 2 October 2009, while on tour with his band Atoms for Peace. On 24 January 2010, Radiohead suspended work on their album The King of Limbs to perform at the Music Box Theater, Hollywood, to raise funds for Oxfam responding to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. At the show, Yorke performed "Lotus Flower" alone on acoustic guitar. The show was released free online in December 2010 as Radiohead for Haiti.

Composition

"Lotus Flower" has a more traditional structure than other songs on The King of Limbs. According to Luke Lewis of NME, it combines the electronic instrumentation of Radiohead's album Kid A (2000) with the "sonic warmth" of their album In Rainbows (2007). It features Yorke's "Prince-like" falsetto over syncopated beats and a "propulsive" synthesiser bassline. Though the song is in common time, the handclaps are in quintuple meter, creating a metric dissonance.

Release

"Lotus Flower" was released as the lead single from Radiohead's eighth studio album, The King of Limbs, in 2011. Pitchfork wrote that it was selected "presumably for having a chorus and not being a ballad". Though it was not released as a commercial single, it entered charts including the UK singles chart, the US Alternative Songs chart and the Billboard Japan Hot 100. Remixes of "Lotus Flower" by various artists were released later in 2011 and compiled on the album TKOL RMX 1234567. A performance of "Lotus Flower" was included in the 2011 live video The King of Limbs: Live from the Basement.

Music video

Radiohead released a music video for "Lotus Flower" on their YouTube channel on February 18, 2011. It was directed by Garth Jennings and choreographed by Wayne McGregor, and features black-and-white footage of Yorke dancing erratically. Yorke said:

No Surprises

"No Surprises" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released as the fourth and final single from their third studio album, OK Computer (1997), in 1998.

Recording

The Radiohead singer, Thom Yorke, wrote "No Surprises" while Radiohead were touring with R.E.M. in 1995. Yorke presented the song to both bands in a dressing room in Oslo on 3 August 1995 as a sketch called "No Surprises Please". Later, the lyrics were rewritten and a glockenspiel melody was added. The original lyrics referred to a girl who does not "take off her dress when she bleeds in the bathtub", which the journalist Tim Footman felt echoed the menstruation motifs of the songwriter Bill Callahan.

Music and lyrics

"No Surprises" is in the key of F major. It features electric guitar (inspired by the Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice"), acoustic guitar, glockenspiel and vocal harmonies. Yorke identified the subject of the song as "someone who's trying hard to keep it together but can't". The lyrics seem to portray a suicide or an unfulfilling life, and dissatisfaction with contemporary social and political order. Some lines refer to rural or suburban imagery. The gentle mood contrasts with the harsh lyrics, and Yorke described the song as a "fucked-up nursery rhyme". The journalist Sam Steele wrote, "Even when the subject is suicide ... [the] guitar is as soothing as balm on a red-raw psyche, the song rendered like a bittersweet child's prayer."

Release

"No Surprises" was released as the fourth single from OK Computer in 1998 and reached number four on the UK singles chart. In the US, it was serviced to modern rock radio on 27 April 1998. As of March 2025, "No Surprises" was Radiohead's most streamed song after their debut single, "Creep", with more than 1 billion streams.

Music video

The music video for "No Surprises" consists of a single close-up shot of Yorke inside a helmet. The lyrics slowly scroll upwards, reflected in the helmet. After the first verse, the helmet begins to fill with water. Yorke continues singing as he attempts to lift his head above the rising water. Once the helmet completely fills, Yorke is motionless for over a minute, after which the water is released and he resumes singing.The video was directed by Grant Gee and was shot on 28 November 1997. Initially, Radiohead and their record label, Parlophone, planned to film videos for each track on OK Computer. Gee pitched concepts for "No Surprises" and "Fitter Happier". His initial concept for "No Surprises", which Gee later described as "some kind...

Reckoner

"Reckoner" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released on their seventh album, In Rainbows (2007). It was produced by Nigel Godrich and developed while Radiohead were working on another song, "Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses".

The singer, Thom Yorke, described it as the centre of In Rainbows.

Recording

"Reckoner" developed from a different song, "Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses", which once had the same title. Radiohead wrote a coda that developed into the final song, but kept the title. Radiohead were excited about "Reckoner" and finished it quickly after recording a demo. The producer, Nigel Godrich, recalled of the recording sessions: "People [were] all over the house, shaking things and getting this groove going, then chopping it up into little pieces and putting it back together. It was a lot of fun."

Composition

"Reckoner" features Thom Yorke's falsetto, "frosty, clanging" percussion, a "meandering" guitar line, piano, and strings arranged by the guitarist Jonny Greenwood. Yorke said the guitar riff was a homage to the Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante "in my sort of clunky 'can't-really-pick' kind of way".

Release

"Reckoner" was released on Radiohead's 2007 album In Rainbows. As they had done for their single "Nude", on September 28, 2008, Radiohead released the separate "Reckoner" stems for fans to purchase and remix. Fans could upload their remixes to the Radiohead website and vote for their favourites. The electronic musicians James Holden, Flying Lotus and Diplo also created remixes.

Music video

The "Reckoner" music video was created by Clement Picon, who won a competition held by Radiohead and the animation studio Aniboom to create an animation for an In Rainbows song. Yorke described it as one of his favourite Radiohead videos.